


Descent Into Mystery

by foxotr



Category: Batman - Fandom
Genre: Drama, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-28
Updated: 2010-02-27
Packaged: 2017-10-17 09:54:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/175586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxotr/pseuds/foxotr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Vicki Vale felt like she was missing something in her normal, mundane life. She heads to Gotham and begins her descent into mystery, romance, and Jokers. A re-imagining and retelling of Batman through Vicki's POV.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Vicki Vale sat at her desk, staring out the large picture window and tapping a pen against her dark mahogany desk. She let out a long, frustrated sigh; blowing a stray strand of her long blonde hair out of her face. She was bored with this town, bored with her cookie-cutter life. What she really craved was some excitement, some mystery. Anything, but this. There were only so many dull photos of models she could take and definitely only one Corto Maltese.

She stared down at the copies of her latest model photo shoot. It wasn't like they were bad pictures, but they all looked the same. No matter how artistic you got, the subject matter was still the same. They were still photos of pretty people posing in various ways. There wasn't anything mysterious or exciting about them to really lure you in. If only she could find something interesting to photograph again. Maybe that would put a spark back in her increasingly mundane life. Maybe she could feel alive again.

She looked up from her desk as she heard laughter coming from across the hall. She stood up, smoothing her black knee length skirt, and walked silently across her office to her door. She opened it further and peeked out into the hallway.

"Ok, John," she called. "Enlighten me. What's so funny this time?"

John March, Vicki's tall dark and handsome assistant, stood up from his desk, still chuckling to himself. He was holding up a folded newspaper in his hand as he stood in the doorway to his own office, leaning into the frame.

"Ah, it's nothing you'd really care about, Vicks. Just some crazy bullshit story I was reading in today's Gotham Globe. You know, come to think of it, maybe you _should_ read it. You need to laugh more, Vicks."

Vicki shook her head, rolling her eyes and smiling at John. He might almost be attractive if he wasn't so predictably normal. "Oh, come on. I laugh when there's something funny, but lately there just hasn't been much to laugh at."

John smiled at her, running his free hand through his slick brown hair. "Really, Vicks, you need a vacation."

Vicki nodded, pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're probably right. Now, are you going to tell me what you were reading about? I mean, really, what could _possibly_ be funny in _Gotham_?"

John grinned at her and laughed, shaking his head. "Well, this guy Knox wrote some crazy story about some kind of a giant bat flying around Gotham and knocking off crooks. I mean, come on, a _giant bat_? This guy is hilarious."

Vicki didn't laugh or smile. She crossed her arms in front of her. "A giant bat? In Gotham?"

John started chuckling again. "I know! I mean, who seriously believes this shit? I can't believe they even published this. Editor must have thought it was funny."

Vicki bit her lip in thought. This story just seemed too good, or too weird to be true. But, if it was… "Are there any pictures? Of the giant bat, I mean."

John stopped laughing and stared at Vicki in disbelief. "Pictures? Are you serious? This story is bullshit, Vicks. A photo of a giant bat in Gotham would be like having a photo of the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot even. Never going to happen because it's not real."

Vicki smiled at him warmly, laughing softly. "I guess you're right. Let me see that article so I can get a good laugh out of it."

John nodded and walked across the hall, handing her the paper. "Sure. You can keep it, actually. I'm done with it."

Vicki clutched the paper in her hand, and smiled graciously at John before turning on her heels and walking back towards her desk, calling behind her, "Thanks."

She quickly sat down at her desk and opened up her top drawer, pulling out her black plastic glasses. She put her glasses on and opened the paper eagerly. Sure enough, there was the article about a giant bat in Gotham. She found herself quickly engulfed in the article. The article went on to mention several occurrences of crooks sighting a giant bat, saying that he had fought them and stopped them. They all seemed to say he walked on two legs and was as tall as a man. The article's author, Alexander Knox, seemed to genuinely believe these stories despite the police denying all the rumors and sightings. _Could it be true?_

She read through the entire article, completely engrossed in this story, without laughing. She was absolutely enthralled by the pure mystery of it all. She was convinced that something strange was going on in Gotham and it seemed like this Knox guy really wanted to get to the bottom of it. Well, so did she. She wanted in on this.

She folded the paper gently and took off her glasses, glancing down at the photos from her most recent shoot. Just the same old boring shit. Nothing at all like what a photo of a giant vigilante bat would be like, of course.

She smiled excitedly and stood up, grasping the copy of the Gotham Globe in her hand. She grabbed her coat and threw it on in a hurry. She picked up her over-sized black back and slung it over her shoulder before she dashed out of her office in a hurry. Her mind was running a mile a minute, but she caught a glimpse of John March peering up at her from his desk.

"Hey! You ok? Vicks? Where are you going?"

She stopped and backtracked to his doorway and looked in, smiling at him. "You know, I think I'm going to take that much needed vacation now."

John stared at her, confused. "What? _Now_? To where?"

"Oh, I was thinking I might like to visit Gotham City. I hear they've got some pretty fascinating wildlife there these days."

John's jaw dropped open as he searched for words. " _What_? No. Come on, Vicks. You don't seriously _believe_ that garbage, do you? Vicks?"

"Thanks for the article. Goodbye, John." She smiled at him, patting him lightly on the cheek, and swiftly turned to walk out of the office. She couldn't even remember the last time she had felt so invigorated and full of life. She hailed a cab and got in laughing. Oh did it ever feel good to laugh!


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> She arrived in Gotham early that evening. It was a dark, cloudy night in the grungy city. She kept her eyes open, looking along the streets for anything out of the ordinary, but nothing caught her eye. However, she decided that the town was probably a photographers dream. All the old buildings lining the streets with their Gothic architecture were just screaming to be photographed. Even if this whole Batman thing didn't pan out, she could probably really enjoy herself here for a while.

Vicki Vale sat at her desk, staring out the large picture window and tapping a pen against her dark mahogany desk. She let out a long, frustrated sigh; blowing a stray strand of her long blonde hair out of her face. She was bored with this town, bored with her cookie-cutter life. What she really craved was some excitement, some mystery. Anything, but this. There were only so many dull photos of models she could take and definitely only one Corto Maltese.

She stared down at the copies of her latest model photo shoot. It wasn't like they were bad pictures, but they all looked the same. No matter how artistic you got, the subject matter was still the same. They were still photos of pretty people posing in various ways. There wasn't anything mysterious or exciting about them to really lure you in. If only she could find something interesting to photograph again. Maybe that would put a spark back in her increasingly mundane life. Maybe she could feel alive again.

She looked up from her desk as she heard laughter coming from across the hall. She stood up, smoothing her black knee length skirt, and walked silently across her office to her door. She opened it further and peeked out into the hallway.

"Ok, John," she called. "Enlighten me. What's so funny this time?"

John March, Vicki's tall dark and handsome assistant, stood up from his desk, still chuckling to himself. He was holding up a folded newspaper in his hand as he stood in the doorway to his own office, leaning into the frame.

"Ah, it's nothing you'd really care about, Vicks. Just some crazy bullshit story I was reading in today's Gotham Globe. You know, come to think of it, maybe you _should_ read it. You need to laugh more, Vicks."

Vicki shook her head, rolling her eyes and smiling at John. He might almost be attractive if he wasn't so predictably normal. "Oh, come on. I laugh when there's something funny, but lately there just hasn't been much to laugh at."

John smiled at her, running his free hand through his slick brown hair. "Really, Vicks, you need a vacation."

Vicki nodded, pulling a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You're probably right. Now, are you going to tell me what you were reading about? I mean, really, what could _possibly_ be funny in _Gotham_?"

John grinned at her and laughed, shaking his head. "Well, this guy Knox wrote some crazy story about some kind of a giant bat flying around Gotham and knocking off crooks. I mean, come on, a _giant bat_? This guy is hilarious."

Vicki didn't laugh or smile. She crossed her arms in front of her. "A giant bat? In Gotham?"

John started chuckling again. "I know! I mean, who seriously believes this shit? I can't believe they even published this. Editor must have thought it was funny."

Vicki bit her lip in thought. This story just seemed too good, or too weird to be true. But, if it was… "Are there any pictures? Of the giant bat, I mean."

John stopped laughing and stared at Vicki in disbelief. "Pictures? Are you serious? This story is bullshit, Vicks. A photo of a giant bat in Gotham would be like having a photo of the Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot even. Never going to happen because it's not real."

Vicki smiled at him warmly, laughing softly. "I guess you're right. Let me see that article so I can get a good laugh out of it."

John nodded and walked across the hall, handing her the paper. "Sure. You can keep it, actually. I'm done with it."

Vicki clutched the paper in her hand, and smiled graciously at John before turning on her heels and walking back towards her desk, calling behind her, "Thanks."

She quickly sat down at her desk and opened up her top drawer, pulling out her black plastic glasses. She put her glasses on and opened the paper eagerly. Sure enough, there was the article about a giant bat in Gotham. She found herself quickly engulfed in the article. The article went on to mention several occurrences of crooks sighting a giant bat, saying that he had fought them and stopped them. They all seemed to say he walked on two legs and was as tall as a man. The article's author, Alexander Knox, seemed to genuinely believe these stories despite the police denying all the rumors and sightings. _Could it be true?_

She read through the entire article, completely engrossed in this story, without laughing. She was absolutely enthralled by the pure mystery of it all. She was convinced that something strange was going on in Gotham and it seemed like this Knox guy really wanted to get to the bottom of it. Well, so did she. She wanted in on this.

She folded the paper gently and took off her glasses, glancing down at the photos from her most recent shoot. Just the same old boring shit. Nothing at all like what a photo of a giant vigilante bat would be like, of course.

She smiled excitedly and stood up, grasping the copy of the Gotham Globe in her hand. She grabbed her coat and threw it on in a hurry. She picked up her over-sized black back and slung it over her shoulder before she dashed out of her office in a hurry. Her mind was running a mile a minute, but she caught a glimpse of John March peering up at her from his desk.

"Hey! You ok? Vicks? Where are you going?"

She stopped and backtracked to his doorway and looked in, smiling at him. "You know, I think I'm going to take that much needed vacation now."

John stared at her, confused. "What? _Now_? To where?"

"Oh, I was thinking I might like to visit Gotham City. I hear they've got some pretty fascinating wildlife there these days."

John's jaw dropped open as he searched for words. " _What_? No. Come on, Vicks. You don't seriously _believe_ that garbage, do you? Vicks?"

"Thanks for the article. Goodbye, John." She smiled at him, patting him lightly on the cheek, and swiftly turned to walk out of the office. She couldn't even remember the last time she had felt so invigorated and full of life. She hailed a cab and got in laughing. Oh did it ever feel good to laugh!

**Author's Note:**

> -AUTHOR'S NOTE-
> 
> \- This is really just a small side project/experiment of mine. This has always been one of my favorite movies since I was 4 years old, and I met my fiance and fell in love with him while discussing and quoting this movie. Heck he even proposed to me (Jan 15, 2010) while we were watching it. If there is one movie that I know like the back of my hand and can practically quote in it's entirety it's this one.
> 
> Anyways, most of my work on here has all been with Dark Knight and writing Ledger's amazing Joker, but I thought I might like to try my hand at writing Nicholson's awesome Joker as well. The idea for this story came to me when talking to a friend and finding out she absolutely hated the character of Vicki Vale. I had always kind of liked her and for some reason identified with her on a level that I was never really able to express. I started writing this as a way to re-imagine Vicki's character and see the movie/story through her eyes while also slightly re-imagining the movie to go with her re-imagining. I wrote this almost a year ago and put it away never to think about it again. I recently found it again and thought that it at least deserved a chance to be posted and see if anything ever came of it. After all, I did work hard on it and it is my writing. However, I cannot guarantee I will ever come back to this. I would like to. Especially if I get enough positive feedback on it. But I would like to finish my Dark Knight fics before doing so. So, I hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think.
> 
> Yours Truly,  
> foxotr


End file.
